Since 1977, the Woodside Homes name has been synonymous with integrity, excellence, and design innovation. As one of America's top 30 homebuilders, we are committed to providing the knowledge, experience, and processes that encourage our customers to realize their ideal lifestyle.

Now, Woodside has found its place to call home as part of Sekisui House. Founded in 1960, Sekisui House, Ltd. is one of the world’s largest homebuilders and an internationally diversified developer, with cumulative sales of over 2.6 million homes. Based in Osaka, Japan, Sekisui House has over 300 consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, over 29,000 employees, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nagoya Stock Exchange.

Sekisui House aims to create homes and communities that improve with time and last for generations. With “Love of Humanity” as its Corporate Philosophy, Sekisui House believes that homes should offer comfort, security, and peace of mind for residents while maintaining harmony with the environment and its surroundings. Sekisui House has sustainability as a core corporate target and is now the global leader in the construction of net-zero-energy houses with more than 70,000 of them built since the product was launched in 2013. In 2009, Sekisui House expanded into several new international markets and now operates in the United States, Australia, China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

The Director of Forward Planning holds a critical position within the organization, tasked with orchestrating the successful entitlement of land development projects. The role spans a wide array of responsibilities, each integral to the overall success of the projects. First and foremost, overseeing the entire entitlement process requires a keen eye for detail and strategic planning. This role is responsible for creating and executing comprehensive plans and schedules, ensuring that every step of the process is meticulously managed and executed on time. The role also involves advising the senior leadership team on probable entitlement timeframes, drawing upon expertise and experience to provide valuable insights and guidance. Active contribution to the land acquisition process is another key aspect of the role. As such, knowledge and understanding of land use issues and legalities will be instrumental in evaluating potential properties and navigating the complexities of an acquisition.

Managing relationships with various consultants is crucial for ensuring smooth coordination and collaboration throughout the entitlement process. From engineers to environmental experts, this role’s ability to foster strong partnerships will be invaluable. Handling due diligence activities requires a meticulous approach, as thorough examination and assessment of all relevant factors are essential for informed decision-making. Strategizing and presenting to municipal decision-making bodies, government entities, and advocacy groups require effective communication skills and a deep understanding of local regulations and community dynamics. Overall, the incumbent’s comprehensive understanding of land use issues and legalities, coupled with a strategic mindset and effective communication abilities, make the ideal candidate an indispensable asset in driving the successful entitlement of the organization’s land development projects.

Responsibilities:

• Own the strategy and execution of the business plan for the California Central Valley division as it relates to development and forward planning.
• Responsible for executing all development and planning functions for single-family projects with a focus on feasibilities, planning, entitlement, financial analysis, and overall management of the land development process.
• Generate the Entitlements and overall land planning project schedule.
• Request RFPs, generate and execute consultant contracts, and request vendor setup as needed.
• Work with the municipalities and consultants to understand all requirements.
• Prepare for and attend public hearings as needed, document all activities and progress in a shared location, track progress in a central location for maximum collaboration.
• Coordinate geographic investigations and surveys (boundary, environmental) with consultants as needed.
• Coordinate the generation of all development and improvement plans with consultants as well as revisions of plans with consultants, sales, marketing & operations.
• Compile and submit any required Pre-Construction applications.
• Oversee all forward planning activities including re-zoning and Entitlements.
• Oversee the precise grade plans and plans for all lots in coordination with operations.
• Update proformas and budgets with Finance.
• Work to resolve all action items to obtain the final plat map.
• Kickoff pre-open for sale activities as well as track and communicate all milestones.
• Secure and manage bonds. Oversee setup of HOA and CC&RS, ensure DRE compliance. Ensure all municipal requirements are met.
• Review and approve all invoices based on the approval matrix.
• Oversee the submittal of required plans to the municipalities. Work until approvals are received.
• Coordinate project close activities including bond exoneration and transition to HOA.
• Collaborate and demonstrate effective teamwork with members of the division leadership team on strategy, business planning, and execution.
• Work laterally in the division to bring new communities online, on time and within budget.
• Create world-class work experiences for Woodside Homes employees, setting the example on how to live Woodside Homes values.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and manage individuals and teams to ensure top performance of all team members in achieving desired results while finding efficient and effective solutions that create overall organizational value.

Qualifications/Experience:

The ideal candidate for the role should possess a minimum of 10 years of experience overseeing the entire entitlement process and strategic planning, as well as creating and executing comprehensive plans and schedules.

• Strategic Vision: A strategic thinker who can develop a clear vision for land planning and entitlements, aligning it with the organization's goals and objectives.
• Business Acumen: Strong business acumen with a track record of supporting business growth through land planning and entitlement programs and tools.
• Team Leadership: Demonstrated experience in building and leading high-performance teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence. The candidate should have a track record of successfully developing and mentoring team members, promoting a customer-centric culture, and driving a positive work environment.
• Results-driven: A results-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering measurable outcomes. The candidate should have a proven ability to set and achieve key performance indicators, track performance metrics, and provide regular reports and analyses to senior leadership.
• Communication and Collaboration: Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to diverse stakeholders. The candidate should have experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, senior leadership, external vendors, and agencies to drive successful outcomes.
• Ten or more years of management-level experience in land development and forward planning in homebuilding, residential real estate, or related industry in the California market.
• A bachelor’s degree in public planning or civil engineering.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel), with advanced skills.

Benefits:

• 401(k) & 401(k) Matching
• Dental Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Account
• Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off

We recognize that few applicants may "check all the boxes," but each person has unique strengths they would bring to the table. We are committed to building a diverse and authentic work culture, so we invite you to apply anyway. You belong here!

Woodside Homes is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, genetic information, disability, or any characteristic protected by law. Diversity is critical to the growth of our company with an understanding of the importance of fostering an environment where everyone has a voice. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodation for candidates with disabilities during the recruiting process. If you need assistance due to a disability, please get in touch with us.